Commentary

For decades, politicians in both parties have bemoaned a US immigration system that virtually all call broken. Attempts at comprehensive reform have failed, and popular emotion and partisan rancour have hit a new high over the last two years as...

One of the most difficult speeches for a Jamaican politician is the speech of the political parties’ leaders at their respective annual conferences. This year’s conferences, perhaps the last for either party leader before the next general election...

Having made progress at his party’s conference a week ago, Mark Golding should not now lose it all in salivating over the possible implosion of the Holness administration. For even if that were to happen because of the corruption-related...

Between the two main political parties, there is a residual 30 to 35 per cent faithful, who will never vote against their ‘born’ party. Within those groups are some of my dearest friends, for whom the party leaders can do no wrong and their...

Jamaica’s Vision 2030 strategic plan is impressive, starting with an inspiring and clear national vision statement, to make “Jamaica, the place of choice to live, work, raise families, and do business” and ending with specific actions, responsible...

The Jamaican dollar turned 55 earlier this month. But it was not the happiest of birthdays, for, on September 8, the local currency stood at J$158.82 to US$1. There was no cause for celebration. The stunning reality is that, over the span of 55...

A closed mouth gathers no feet. An open mouth can get you a ‘Foot In Mouth Award’ like the former chairman of the England cricket team, Ted Dexter. Actually, he was the first to get the Plain English Campaign for a “baffling comment by a public...

The illusion of choice is pretty comforting. It is comforting to feel as though we have full or near-full control of political outcomes in a country where a lot is not going right. Were we to accept the idea that we are helpless and have hardly any...

As this newspaper has been warning for a long time, Jamaicans must be vigilant against any effort to weaken the Integrity Commission (IC), to make it even less effective as an anti-corruption watchdog. While the most immediate threat appears to be...

LAST WEEK’S World Suicide Prevention Day seminar at the Terra Nova Hotel in Kingston, sparked two newspaper articles which have made me somewhat uncomfortable with the ongoing conversation around mental health. In the first piece, ‘Psychiatrist...

If you take Angela Brown Burke’s statement to its logical conclusion about Vybz Kartel’s presence on the stage of the People’s National Party’s (PNP) annual conference on Sunday, her party lacks agency. So, it would seem, the party bends with the...

“Opportunity.” That was the word that Peter Sutherland, the first WTO director general, used to describe the creation of the new global framework to govern trade in goods and services back in 1994. He specifically referred to “opportunities to...